Transcript Broadcast - WordPress.com

BROADCAST NEWS WRITING
•Keep it simple.
PRINT VS. BROADCAST
•Print: President Barack Obama and congressional Democrats sought to ease Republican
complaints about a massive economic stimulus plan Friday, meeting with GOP leaders in the
White House and promising to consider some of their recommendations.
•Broadcast: President Barack Obama met with Republican leaders in Congress today. The
Republicans aren't happy with Obama's big economic stimulus plan. Obama says he'll
consider their ideas.
TIPS OF THE TRADE
•(Mervin Block–Television Newswriting Workshop)
•
Start strong. Well begun is half done.
•
Read--and understand--your source copy.
•
Underline or circle key facts.
•
Think. Don't write yet. Think.
•
Write the way you talk.
•
Apply the rules for broadcast newswriting.
•
Have the courage to write simply.
•
Refrain from wordy warm-ups.
•
Put attribution before assertion.
•
Go with S-V-O: subject--verb--object.
•
Limit a sentence to one idea.
TIPS OF THE TRADE
•Use short words and short sentences.
•Use familiar words in familiar combinations.
•Humanize your copy. And localize it.
•Activate your copy: use active voice--and action verbs.
•Avoid a first sentence whose main verb is any form of to be.
•Avoid a first sentence whose main verb is may, could, seems.
•Use present tense verbs where appropriate.
•Put your sentences in a positive form.
•Don't start with a quotation or a question.
•Use connectives—and, also, but, so, because—to link sentences.
•Put the word or words you wish to stress at the end of your sentence.
TIPS OF THE TRADE
•Use contractions--with caution.
•Pep up your copy with words like new, now, but, says.
•Watch out for I, we, our, here, up, down.
•Omit needless words. (Is every word necessary? If it's not necessary to leave it in, it is necessary to leave it
out.)
•Hit only the highlights.
•Don't parrot source copy.
•Place the time element, if you need one, after the verb.
•When in doubt, leave it out.
•Don't raise questions you don't answer.
•Read your copy aloud. If it sounds like writing, rewrite it. The art of writing lies in rewriting what you've
already rewritten.
•And polish your résumé.
PRODUCING A NEWSCAST
•The process of producing a newscast is complex. It involves several editors and producers who
must plan every second of broadcast and adapt to constant changes throughout the day as
news breaks.
BROADCAST VS. NEWSPAPER AND WEB WRITING
•ATTRIBUTION
•Always first in broadcast: The bird rescue center's director says one of the eagle's died.
•First or last for print and Web: One of the eagle's died last night, said the director of the
bird rescue center.
BROADCAST VS. NEWSPAPER AND WEB WRITING
•ACTIVE VOICE – Who is doing what, not what was done to whom. Active voice is preferred
for print but even more necessary for broadcast.
•Active: Volunteers at the center washed the eagles with Dawn detergent.
•Passive: The eagles were washed with Dawn detergent by volunteers at the center.
BROADCAST VS. NEWSPAPER AND WEB WRITING
•PRESENT TENSE – Use when possible for broadcast; past tense is more common in print
and the Web.
•Present: One eagle remains in critical condition.
•Past: One eagle remained in critical condition.
BROADCAST VS. NEWSPAPER AND WEB WRITING
•UPDATE LEADS – Using the latest information. This technique is recommended for all
media, but especially for broadcast and the Web.
•Old news: Eighteen eagles were flown to the bird rescue center Saturday.
•Updated: Eighteen eagles are recovering at the bird center, where they were flown
Saturday.
WRITING FOR RADIO
•Writing for radio news follows many of the same principals as writing for television news,
but the copy is shorter.
•A radio newscast may total about 90 seconds with six or seven stories unless it is National
Public Radio, which offers longer stories.
LEADS
•An anchor will introduce your story, but every story in a package needs its own lead.
•Put a human face on the story whenever possible. Try to find someone affected by the issue. You can start
with the specific, using a person first, and then going to the nut graph.
Iris Duncan work up one morning and said she thought someone had put waxed paper over her eyes.
Sound bite: It was all fuzzy and cloudy and I couldn't see. I had no idea what was wrong.
She went to her doctor that afternoon. She learned she had glaucoma. The disease strikes one of every
200-thousand people.
•Starting with a general statement and going to a specific person is less effective.
Glaucoma strikes one of every 200-thousand people. Iris Duncan is one of them. She woke up and said she
thought someone had put waxed paper over her eyes.
LEADS
•The You voice – Not all stories directly affect viewers lives. But when possible, try to stress the
impact within the first few sentences.
You’re about to pay more for your salad. A drought in California is raising the price of lettuce.
LEADS
•Advance the lead – Stress the next step to gain immediacy.
•Yes – Two people remain in serious condition following a car accident this afternoon.
•No – Two people were injured in a car accident today.
LEADS
•Focus on a person – This kind of lead goes from the specific to the general.
Judy and Joe Westbrook spent the morning cleaning up the furniture in their front yard. The Blue
River had overflowed its banks and forced its way into their Independence home.
More than 25 families share their predicament. Late this afternoon, all of those families were
awaiting word about their flood insurance claims.
LEADS
•Mystery-Teaser lead – Another effective soft lead technique, as long as you don't keep the
viewer/listener wondering what the story is about for too long.
In some ways it looks like an ordinary camp. It has hiking trails, a swimming pool and tennis court.
But you don't have to worry about what clothes to wear. In fact, this is one of the few places where
you'll feel out of place wearing clothes.
At this camp near Denver, men and women of all ages frolic in the nude.
Sound bite: Nudism is about the only recreation that anybody can do whether they're rich or poor. We
all share in the same satisfaction. So it's a very great equalizer.
BODY
•Where, When, Who
•Problem/Solution: Provides support in sound bites and facts and offers the solutions if
any exist.
•Time sequence: Because broadcast stories need immediacy, the time sequence is usually
a reverse chronology that starts with the present action, goes to the past, and ends with
the future.
ENDING
•Summary – a fact that reinforces the main idea without repeating previous points.
•Future – The next step in some action.
•Factual – A background statement or just another fact.
•Consumer – Helpful items, such as where to call or go for additional information. If this
information is important to the viewer, avoid giving it only one time.